Electric cars to become… inflatable?

We love electric cars. They’re quiet, zippy, and the latest versions go for miles between charges, but they’re still pretty expensive.

That could be about to change however, thanks to XP Vehicles, a California-based auto maker with plans to sell inflatable cars to the masses.

Yes, you read that right. XP’s Whisper car is an inflatable vehicle powered by batteries or fuel cells. It’s made of the same material NASA used to create airbags for the Mars rovers’ landings, and is incredibly strong.

Even better, because it’s light, it can travel for a whopping 2,500 miles on a single charge, and should cost around £2,500 when it goes on sale.

The firm says its cars will be sold online, initially to Asian markets, and will arrive in two cardboard boxes, ready to be assembled by “two people of average education level in less than two hours”.

There’ll also be the option to choose cars in different colours, with special decals, stereo systems, iPod compatibility and alarms. Best of all, XP says the Whisper will “float in an emergency such as a flood or tsunami” and if you’re brave enough, you could even “drive it off a cliff without serious injury.”

TBC | £TBC
XP Vehicles

Related stories